A reading desk stacked with books and a laptop, a cloistered courtyard beyond

Recognition of foreign degrees & qualifications

Your qualification.Recognised in Italy.

Foreign qualifications do not automatically translate into the Italian system. We help you identify the correct recognition route, prepare the required documentation and coordinate the process from start to finish.

Check my qualification
  • The correct route for your purpose
  • Translations, Apostille and CIMEA coordinated
  • Followed through to a decision
A passport, documents and a fountain pen on a desk, Florence beyond the window

Recognition routes

Your qualification.Recognised forthe right purpose.

Italy has no single procedure that validates a foreign degree for every use. Who assesses your qualification, and what they look at, depends on what you want it to do here — so the same diploma can follow one route for a job, another for a concorso and another for a master’s.

  • Regulated profession

    Recognition comes from the competent ministry or professional authority, which may ask for an aptitude test or an adaptation period.

  • Academic recognition

    An Italian university assesses your qualification when you want an equivalent Italian academic title — the procedure often called equipollenza.

  • Further study

    The university evaluates whether your qualification is suitable for admission to the programme you are applying for.

  • Public-sector use

    Specific equivalence or recognition procedures may apply, depending on the competition or the role.

  • CIMEA

    Comparability and verification statements can support an application when one is required. CIMEA does not itself grant formal legal recognition.

  • Dichiarazione di Valore

    Required in some procedures, normally from the Italian embassy or consulate. It describes your qualification; it is not recognition.

Know the difference

CIMEA, Dichiarazione di Valore or recognition?

They are not the same thing. Knowing which one an authority is asking for saves a great deal of back and forth.

  • Recognition

    The formal decision that your qualification counts in Italy for a stated purpose — to practise, to hold an equivalent title, to enrol or to compete. Only a competent authority takes it: a university, a ministry or a professional body.

  • CIMEA statement

    CIMEA is the Italian centre of the ENIC-NARIC network. Its statements of comparability and verification describe how your qualification compares with the Italian system and confirm it is authentic. They are evidence for a decision, not the decision itself.

  • Dichiarazione di Valore

    A document from the Italian embassy or consulate in the country where you studied, describing your qualification: the institution, the level, the length of study and its standing there. Some procedures require it; some accept a CIMEA statement instead. It is not recognition.

An open notebook with a handwritten checklist beside a map and photographs

How ITRW helps

From your objectiveto a decision.

The decision belongs to the authority, and nobody can promise its outcome or its timing. What we can do is make sure the application that reaches it is the right one, complete, and followed up.

  1. Understand your objective

    Determine exactly how the qualification needs to be used in Italy.

  2. Identify the correct route

    Establish which authority, recognition procedure and supporting evidence apply.

  3. Prepare the documentation

    Degrees, transcripts, programme details, translations, Apostille or legalisation and other evidence.

  4. Coordinate supporting procedures

    CIMEA, Dichiarazione di Valore or other supporting documentation, where required.

  5. Prepare and submit

    Organise the application for the relevant university, ministry, professional body or authority.

  6. Follow the process

    Handle requests for additional information and keep the application moving.

Old documents and photographs spread across a desk with a magnifying glass

The right papers,in the right order.

Documents

What you may need.

Requirements vary with the country that awarded your qualification, the qualification itself, what you want to use it for and the authority assessing it. This is the usual starting point — we confirm the exact list for your route before anything is translated or legalised.

  • Degree or diploma certificate

    The award itself, as an original or a certified copy.

  • Transcripts and earlier qualifications

    Exams, grades and credits, and the qualifications that gave you access.

  • Course or syllabus information

    Programme content and hours, often needed for a comparison.

  • Identification documents

    A valid passport or identity card, and a permit where relevant.

  • Certified translations

    Into Italian, in the form the receiving authority accepts.

  • Apostille or legalisation

    Which one depends on the country that issued the document.

  • Professional registration

    Proof of registration or practice at home, for regulated professions.

  • CIMEA or Dichiarazione di Valore

    Only where the receiving institution or authority requires one.

Start with the purpose

What do you need your qualification for?

The correct procedure depends on what you want your qualification to do in Italy. Tell us, and we will work out the route from there.

Before you start

Questions about recognition.

The ones that come up first, answered as plainly as we can.

  • How much does this cost?

    Free 15-minute introductory call to understand your situation, answer questions about how we work and suggest the most appropriate next step. No document review, detailed eligibility assessment or personalised legal, tax or immigration advice is included.

  • Can every foreign degree be recognised in Italy?

    Not automatically. The competent authority assesses the qualification and may identify differences or additional requirements — extra exams, an aptitude test or an adaptation period — or decide it cannot be recognised for the purpose requested. We tell you plainly what your route involves before you commit to it.

  • Does ITRW recognise my qualification?

    No. Recognition is decided by universities, ministries, professional bodies and other competent authorities. Our role is to identify the correct route, prepare the documentation and the application, and coordinate the process with the authority until it reaches a decision.

  • Do I always need CIMEA?

    No. Whether CIMEA is needed depends on the institution or authority receiving the qualification. Some ask for a CIMEA statement, some accept one in place of a Dichiarazione di Valore, and some do not need one at all.

  • Do I always need a Dichiarazione di Valore?

    No. It is required only in certain procedures, and it is not itself formal recognition: it describes your qualification so that the Italian authority can assess it.

  • Can I work in Italy without formally recognising my degree?

    For many non-regulated private-sector jobs, formal recognition may not be necessary — the employer judges the qualification for themselves. Regulated professions are different, and public-sector roles have their own rules. Your permission to work in Italy is a separate question from recognition.

  • What is equipollenza?

    Equipollenza is the academic route to an Italian title equivalent to your foreign one, decided by an Italian university that compares your programme with its own. It is one route among several, and not always the one your objective needs — which is why we start from what you want to do, not from the degree.

  • How long does recognition take?

    There is no universal timeframe. It depends on the procedure, the authority, the country of qualification and how complete the documentation is. We tell you what to expect once your route is clear, and keep the application moving — but we will not promise a date that depends on someone else.

  • Can I start the process before moving to Italy?

    Often, yes, depending on the procedure and the documents required. Much of the preparation — certificates, translations, Apostille or legalisation, a Dichiarazione di Valore from the consulate — is usually easier to arrange from the country where you studied.

ITRW does not grant recognition. Universities, ministries, professional bodies and other competent authorities make that decision — we identify the right route, prepare the application and coordinate the process with them.

Recognition, the right way

Not sure which recognition route applies to you?

Tell us what qualification you hold and what you want to use it for in Italy. We’ll identify the correct route and explain the next steps.

Check my qualification
  • The right route from the start
  • No obligation
  • Honest about what we cannot promise